This is what I have come up. Very basic steps to proper maintaing your deck.

1. Sweep it like its your kitchen. 1-2 days a week is fine

2. Scrub Your Deck 1-2 times a year. 3-4 if you have more time.

3. If you do have a rotting deck board, it's best to try to chisel it out with a wood chisel and hammer.

4. Remove mildew immediately. It turns REAL ugly if not. (Shouldn't have a problem if you used a water sealer.)

5. Both water sealers and stains should be applied a minimum of every two years. If you live in an area that has severe weather conditions, you may need to apply more frequently. You can use a large brush for application.

If you want to make a total deck make-over you should scrub your wooden deck with sand paper, getting rid of all the current paint and coating. Make sure your deck looks smooth and nice. Replace any bad wood pieces. Then repaint it. You'll feel like you just built a new deck after this.

If you want to make a total deck make-over you should scrub your wooden deck with sand paper, getting rid of all the current paint and coating. Make sure your deck looks smooth and nice. Replace any bad wood pieces. Then repaint it. You'll feel like you just built a new deck after this.

What do you think about painting as opposed to staining? Is painting really that much more low maintenance? We had a white picket fence and I felt like it was a lot of work keeping up with painting every year.